Little Miss Bump- XD Yep, lots more action to come. Hee-hee, I'm glad you liked that. Yep, trust Gordy to lighten up the mood. Nope, not nice at all. Yep, he kept loyal to his people even when he was tortured and killed. Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yep, I am hoping to keep the updates frequent since the real action chunk of the story is now beginning. You're very welcome, I just had to review your awesome work that keeps me on the edge of my seat. XD Same here my friend.
err... who am i- He's been in the sun too long. XD Nope, I am hoping that the majority of waiting is through since I am very eager to write some of the upcoming action scenes that I have planned. I'm glad you liked it. Seventh Scroll? Never heard of it. –scurries off to look it up- Oh, those are books that I might enjoy. Barnes & Noble, here I come! :P Don't worry, the little kitty is being taken care of back on the island. I'll do my best too. XD
Digi-Girl101- XD I'm glad you like it. They will be, after a few bumps and bruises of course. XD And welcome to the story!
Pinkranger888- XD I'm glad you enjoyed it. Happy dance? Dude, that's something I do when a story I love is updated. XD Yep, they are on their way. No, I don't think I could either and I know I would throw up. Weak stomach. Oh, it's only going to get worse. The Meritaten part of her is even crueler. As always, I'll update as soon as I can.
Chapter Twenty Two- Sahara Nights
Evelyn smiled and leaned back in the pilot's seat as the rotating blades behind her came to a stop. Though they had only been able to fly for a few hours, they were on their way. The sun was now below the horizon in the west, casting its last golden rays into the sky as she unclasped the fasting below her chin and pulled off her helmet. She set it on top of her backpack in the seat behind her as pushed herself up out of the ultra light, looking at the empty landscape around where they landed.
To the east, past Lady Penelope's ultra light, she could see the tops of the tree's that lined the Nile River several miles away, while to the west was the seemingly endless expanse that was the Sahara. Heaving a sigh, she walked around to the rear of the ultra light and flipped the switch above the engine, stopping anymore gas from entering. She then began to walk to where John stood beside his ultra light, pulling down the zipper on the flight suit to where the necklaces she wore shown.
"Hey," she greeted as she walked up to her brother. John turned around from digging for something in his backpack and smiled at her, his expression that of a young child who had just gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Hey Evie," he replied, leaning back against the second seat of the ultra light, blocking the backpack from view.
Evelyn crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "What were you looking for in you backpack?" she inquired.
"Nothing," John shrugged.
"Well, I know it's not nothing," she replied, biting her lip as she thought about what he could possibly be hiding. A few moments later, it hit her like a ton a bricks. "You brought chocolate, didn't you?"
John grinned sheepishly. Evelyn chuckled and shook her head. "You are a chocoholic, John."
John opened his mouth to reply, only to be interrupted by the whinnying of an horse. John's eyebrow's furrowed slightly as he and Evelyn began to glance around for the approaching rider.
"John! Evelyn!" Fermat yelled as he ran towards them, his feet kicking up sand as he ran. Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope a few seconds behind him. Evelyn grabbed the teen's shoulders in an attempt to steady him as he came to a stop before her and John.
"Where is he?" she asked, looking down at Fermat.
"Just on the other side of mine," Tin-Tin replied. Evelyn's head snapped up and looked towards the Malaysian girl before she released Fermat shoulder's and quickly walking around the rear of John's ultra light, towards where Tin-Tin's ultra light sat between Lady Penelope's and Fermat's. The rider was garbed in all black and was slowing his horse as he approached the group, an small gray hawk perched on his shoulder.
"I assume you were looking for us?" Evelyn asked as the Medjai pulled his horse to a stop and slid off the saddle. The hawk on his shoulder screeched as he walked forward, pulling down his face covering as he walked forward. He inclined his head as he came to a stop before the group.
"Indeed," the Medjai replied, the corners of his mouth turning upward into a smile. "I am Bomani, one of the many scouts assigned to this region to track your progress and report it to my superiors so that they may join you at night."
Evelyn smiled towards the Medjai. "A pleasure to meet you Bomani. How far away are your superiors?"
"When I last checked in with them, they were just over an hour behind me," Bomani explained, lifting his hand to his shoulder. The hawk jumped from his shoulder and onto his hand. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I will use Tafne to inform them that I have reached you."
He then turned around and walked back towards his horse, reaching into one of the saddlebags for what he needed to write a message. As he did so, Evelyn turned to the group behind her. "His name is Bomani and he is one of the many scouts on the lookout for us," she explained. "They are apparently roughly an hour behind him, so they should be here soon."
"'Scouts?'" Tin-Tin repeated. Evelyn nodded.
Evelyn turned around as the hawk screeched as he took off into the air and headed northwest. Bomani watched the hawk fly off into the distance for a few moments before walking back towards the group. "With any luck, they should be here in an hour or so," he stated as he gazed at all five of the in turn, a small smile on his face. "They have food and blankets with them. In the mean time, I will head over to the river and grab some wood to build a fire."
"Thank you Bomani," Evelyn replied as he walked back to his horse. The stallion snorted as their rider put his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself back up into the saddle. He then grabbed the rains, and set off around the ultra lights and towards the river in the distance.
"Where is he going?" Fermat asked as they watched the horse galloped towards the trees in the east.
"To get wood for a fire," Evelyn explained. "And food and blankets should be here in an hour or so."
"And I've already contacted base and let them know we landed," Lady Penelope added.
"So," Tin-Tin began, glancing around at the group. "Now what?"
Evelyn shrugged and looked towards John. "Any ideas?" she asked. Evelyn frowned at the small smile on his face. "One that doesn't involve chocolate?"
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"Blah," Alan gagged as he bit into the hard, dry bread they had been given as their dinner. They had stopped and made camp for the night roughly half an hour prior and as with the nights prior, they were shoved to the group on the outskirts of the camp with an pair of guards that would change every few hours.
"It's better than nothing, sprout," Virgil pointed out before biting into his own small loaf of bread, wincing at the hardness of it as he chewed.
"I know," Alan mumbled in reply, looking sadly down at his own bread before reluctantly taking another bit of it.
"This makes Scott's cooking look like elegant cuisine," Gordon teased, glancing over at his eldest brother. Jeff, Alan, and Virgil hid their smiles as Scott glared over at Gordon as he took an bit of his bread, only to wince at the hardness and rub his jaw as he chewed. Gordon shrugged and smiled sympathetically.
"Apparently Evie is not much better," Alan added, only for his face to fall after a few moments at the thought of his sister and the elder blond of the family. Though part of him was glad that they were not here, particularly Evelyn since Yuja and Saadia wanted her dead, he missed them both a great deal.
The two blonds had grown closer in the years following the Hood's attack. Alan would often call John for help with school work, particularly when finals rolled around, or just to talk period. Then he and Evelyn had always been close, seeing as they were the two youngest members of the family and, for a time, the only ones not involved in International Rescue.
"Alan?"
Alan looked up from his piece of bread at the sound of his father's voice and the hand on his arm. His light blue eyes locked on the blue-gray eyes of his father beside him.
"They'll be okay," Jeff said softly, smiling fondly at Alan. He then looked up and glanced around at his family and to where Kyleigh and Narmer sat off by themselves a short distance away before looking back at Alan. "And so will we."
"Yeah, Sprout. We just have to hold one till they get here," Scott added, putting his hand on his younger brother's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Until then, why don't you finish your bread and then try to get some rest."
Scott then looked towards Gordon and Virgil. "You guys too," he added.
"You need sleep too, Scott," Virgil retorted, his expression serious as his honey-burnt eyes scanned his eldest brother. "How much water have you had tonight?"
Scott sighed and ran one of his bound hands through his sand filled hair. "One gulp," he replied, looking down at the sand in front of him. "And a small one at that."
"Scott-" Virgil sight, obviously frustrated with his older brother. He only stopped at what Scott was sure was a look from their father. He heard his father sigh before the sound of sloshing water as the large jug of water they had been given for the night was place in front of him.
"Drink. Two gulps," he instructed, the tone of his voice leaving no room for argument. Scott glanced up from the jug before him towards his father's stern expression. He cringed and grabbed the mug before him, lifting it to his lips. After taking two long gulps from the little that was left in it, the cool water feeling extremely present as it wet his dry mouth. He then set it on the ground and whipped his mouth with his sleeve.
"Now," Jeff began, his expression softening as he glanced around at his four sons. "I want you all to get some sleep, alright? Even though we know help is on the way, it could be another day before the catch up to us and we don't want to be dead on our feet when they do."
As his brother's began to lay down in the sand, muttering good night to each other, Scott caught his father's eye.
"What about you?" he asked softly as Jeff ran his fingers through Alan's hair as the teen's eyes closed. Jeff reached over Alan and took his eldest son's hand.
"Just get some rest Scotty," he replied, squeezing his hand gently. "I'll be fine. You just rest."
Scott nodded, his shoulder's sagging slightly in defeat. He would normally fight his father and tell him that he was fine and that he should get some sleep, but the tone of his father's voice when he had told them all to get some sleep conveyed that it was not a suggestion, but an order. An order that was to not be questioned.
"Night dad," he whispered as he lay down in the sand, looking up at the stars that were beginning to appear in the quickly darkening night sky.
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The Medjai had arrived where they had landed just over an hour after the sun had set and had been greeted by five hungry people gather around the large fire that Bomani had started. They had been given hot stew that had been made shortly after their arrival and provided thick, wool blankets for them to sleep on.
The stew, while not up to the quality of Onaha's food, was quite good for being in the middle of nowhere and Evelyn proudly stated that it was better than whatever she had eaten at the trading post she had stopped at on the way to Amarna. The blankets had been laid near the fire and shortly after eating their fill of stew, they laid down to sleep.
Evelyn laid on her back, holding up the pendants Gordon had given her on their birthday, the light of the fire gleaming of the metal. She had tried to fall asleep, but found that she couldn't and instead opted to look at the necklace. She could hear the few Medjai that were still awake moving around the camp, muttering softly as to not wake them.
Taymullah had come and talked to her while the stew had been cooking. He told her that they had had a scout that was not far behind Yuja, Saadia, and the Hood, but he had not reported since the day before and that when he had not reported, another scout was sent after him. He had received word that afternoon that the scout that had gone missing was found dead, throat slit and left face down in the sand.
They now knew that someone was after them and from the messages he was receiving from scouts, they were now quicken their pace towards Amarna. Taymullah had thought they had left the body as a warning, and Evelyn had the sickening feeling that he was right. Though part of her was immensely overjoyed at the thought that it had not been a member of her family that they had found.
"You miss him, huh?"
Evelyn turned her head towards the voice to see that Tin-Tin was looking towards her. She stopped fingering the pendants and tucked them back under the collar of her flight suit as she nodded.
"Probably more then he will ever know," she replied, looking towards the younger girl a few feet to her left. "He's my other half."
"And without him you feel like part of you is missing," Tin-Tin stated. Evelyn's brow furrowed in confusion and she nodded slightly. How had she known that, she had never even told Gordon how she had felt. Tin-Tin notice her look of confusion and gave her a small smile. "How did I know? Because I feel the same way."
"About Alan?" Evelyn enquired, a smirk forming on her lips. Tin-Tin's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she looked down at the blanket beneath her and nodded. Evelyn's smirk turned into a triumphant grin as she rolled over and supported her weight on her elbow. "I knew it. I knew you liked him!"
On the other side of Tin-Tin, Fermat shifted in his sleep, muttering incoherently in his sleep. Both girl's glanced towards him for a few moments before looking back towards each other. 'Opps," Evelyn mouthed.
Tin-Tin bit her lip to keep from laughing and Evelyn covered her mouth with her hand as she rolled back over onto her back. Evelyn removed her hand and smiled as she looked up at the sky above her head. She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that maybe she would be able to get some sleep now.
"I saw you talking to Taymullah before dinner," Tin-Tin began, glancing towards the crackling fire just past her feet before looking back towards Evelyn. The elder girl's smile faded as she opened her eyes and turned her head to look towards Tin-Tin. "What exactly did her tell you?"
"They found a scout that had been tracking them for us dead," Evelyn replied softly, her fingers picking at the blanket beneath her. "His throat was slit. Taymullah thinks he was left as a warning for us."
"A warning?" she repeated. "A warning for what?
Evelyn was silent for a few moments. She placed her hands behind her head and looked up at the starry sky above them. "A warning of what is to come when we find them," she responded. "It seems we won't be able to get them back without a fight, and with the Medjai on our side, they'll be getting that fight."
Tin-Tin was silent for a few minutes and Evelyn thought the girl had finally fallen asleep, that was until she heard the Malaysian speak once more, so softly that Evelyn barely heard her. "They're lucky to have someone like you as their sister."
Evelyn said nothing, simply closed her eyes and tried to sleep once more. Lucky? Yeah right. They were captured as a ploy to draw her to them. They were in the middle of the Sahara, because of her. Well, they wanted her to come after them, and she was. They wanted a fight and they would get one, and she would fight for her family until her last breath and if she went down, hopefully she would be able to take Saadia and Yuja down with her.